After seven or eight days of recovery, Su Zhuyi’s injuries had mostly healed.

She didn’t just lie there—she got up to exercise her muscles and bones, practicing swordsmanship for a while. At the red maple forest, Su Zhuyi had comprehended a bit of sword intent. It seemed like back then, something wanted her to kneel and admit her mistakes, but she’d rather die than acknowledge them.

She felt that if Qin Jianglan’s Songfeng sword qi represented unyielding integrity, then hers was probably the stubbornness of refusing to admit fault. There were some similarities.

With sword intent, her swordsmanship’s power had greatly increased. Previously, Su Zhuyi had always felt the sword dao was pitifully weak in the early stages, so she’d been too lazy to cultivate it. Now with sword intent, she found the sword quite effective to use, so her cultivation became more serious. She had already known the first and second forms of the Tianxuan Nine Swords before, just neglecting practice. Now, when executed, their power was truly considerable.

After sword practice, Su Zhuyi was exhausted. She returned to her room to meditate and rest. While regulating her breathing, she multitasked—despite being very tired, she still separated a strand of divine consciousness to contact Qin Jianglan and Little Skull. Who would have thought she’d hear Qin Jianglan saying such things?

“Demon lords all have bad endings?”

“Since ancient times, evil cannot triumph over righteousness!”

Hearing this, Su Zhuyi flared up and asked, “What nonsense are you spouting behind my back?”

“Evil cannot triumph over righteousness?” Her divine consciousness landed on Qin Jianglan. “You’re so righteous, yet aren’t you still…” Her voice immediately became melodious as she lightly exhaled, “Aren’t you still under my spell?”

She now had excellent control over her divine consciousness.

That strand of divine consciousness, soft as a feather, gently landed on Qin Jianglan’s lips. “Who won—you or me?”

“You.” Qin Jianglan’s eyes were clear and bright, answering almost without hesitation.

Su Zhuyi was satisfied, but her mouth remained unforgiving. “Oh, why?” Her divine consciousness’s feather brushed across his lips, then slid down along his chin, brushing past his neck, slipping into his clothes, stroking his collarbone several times. She had intended to tease Qin Jianglan, but it made her own heart burn like fire. She found his temples sharp as if cut by a blade, his eyebrows like ink paintings, his eyes like dots of lacquer—every part of him stirred her heart.

“Because you’re beautiful.” Qin Jianglan said with an unchanged expression.

She had been teasing him, yet Su Zhuyi found her heartbeat accelerating instead. In that instant, her divine consciousness even paused slightly before she giggled twice. “Of course, I’ve always known that.”

She suddenly remembered many years ago, on the Wangtian Tree, when she often posed seductively before him, asking, “Do you think I’m beautiful?”

He had never answered back then.

He had always had an answer in his heart. Only today did he speak it aloud.

Her heartbeat sped up, but she noticed Qin Jianglan remained calm and composed, which made her somewhat unwilling to give up. As she continued flirting, she suddenly heard his heartbeat.

That thumping heartbeat made her eyes slightly warm.

You’re still alive—that’s good.

Just then, Little Skull, who had been playing with mud on the side, cheerfully spoke up again, “Little sister, are you here? Look, I made little people with mud…”

He had built houses on the ground, with pine trees at the door, and inside the houses were little sister, little uncle, and many other people…

“Mm-hmm.” Su Zhuyi’s divine consciousness touched Little Skull again, but Little Skull, who had been squatting, lost his balance and suddenly knelt forward, pressing his hands forward and crushing many of the figures.

Su Zhuyi: “…”

She had excellent divine consciousness control now—was her strength really that great? However, coincidentally crushing all the other people while leaving only her, Qin Jianglan, and Little Skull—wasn’t that too coincidental?

Her divine consciousness glanced at Qin Jianglan, who was sitting upright and proper. Su Zhuyi chuckled in her heart and touched him a couple more times.

“I’ve recovered pretty much. Tomorrow I’ll go down the mountain to subdue demons and eliminate evil.” Su Zhuyi smiled. “Where did you go in your previous life? Which places had demons and evil spirits that needed eliminating?”

In her previous life, Su Zhuyi had still been causing trouble in the Xueluo Sect at this time. She knew very little about these matters. Since she was going to act chivalrously and defy heaven to change fate under Qin Jianglan’s name, she needed to prepare well. If she knew in advance where demons and evil spirits were causing trouble, she could go directly and save a lot of effort.

After asking, Qin Jianglan didn’t respond. Su Zhuyi called his name again.

“Qin Jianglan.”

“Mm.” He responded softly, then smiled slightly. Though he was a person as cool as jade, that smile carried a heart-stirring allure in his eyes and brows, like entangling silk threads that instantly tightened around her heart.

“I forgot.” The breeze ruffled his hair. Though he was smiling, it made Su Zhuyi’s heart ache. She felt her emotional fluctuations had been quite large recently—she was actually being affected by his every word, action, gesture, look, and smile…

Previously, she had always been the one seducing others. Now she was being seduced instead.

When people who seemed rigid, stubborn, and aloof started flirting, they really made one unable to maintain composure.

“Mm, just remember me.” She simply wrapped her divine consciousness around his neck, as if embracing his shoulders with both hands. In her previous life, Su Zhuyi had always taken the initiative to seduce him. Even when they did make it to bed, except for the very last time, she was always on top, as if sitting in his lap, arms around his neck. Using her divine consciousness to circle him now, she smiled and said, “Let me take a good look. I’ll paint more portraits later and have them hang them in their rooms, making you as revered by tens of thousands as you were six hundred years ago.”

“Good.”

The Calming Heart Mantra had long been useless.

He had already inevitably reacted, just sitting upright and pretending nothing had happened. Only when Su Zhuyi’s divine consciousness left did he breathe a sigh of relief.

His cultivation was stronger than Su Zhuyi’s, and they were separated by the Liuguang Mirror. Under his concealment, Su Zhuyi shouldn’t have noticed his abnormality. His blue shirt was thin, and sitting cross-legged like that, if he hadn’t cast a barrier, everything would have been exposed.

Qin Jianglan’s heart settled slightly, then he heard Little Skull suddenly speak up, “Little uncle, are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

He pointed at the tent Qin Jianglan had pitched, asking with concern.

The mountain-river spirit’s divine consciousness was even stronger…

Little Skull wouldn’t peek at what was under other people’s clothes, but…

The current situation was very strange. Little uncle’s face was flushed, his heartbeat accelerated—was he sick? Little sister had secretly told him to watch little uncle carefully, not to let him do bad things or develop resentment. Little Skull took this responsibility very seriously, so he watched very carefully!

The flames in his eye sockets flickered, his divine consciousness nearly poking a hole in Qin Jianglan’s pants.

Qin Jianglan: “…”

“I’m fine. This will be better in a moment. Don’t tell little sister, okay?”

“Okay!” Little Skull innocently agreed.

Qin Jianglan sighed in relief. Wu’er was innocent and kind—he wouldn’t lie to him, right? But Wu’er had been with that demoness Su Zhuyi. In those years, not even two of every ten sentences from her mouth were true.

Little Skull nodded repeatedly, promising, “I won’t tell little sister!”

But in his heart, he was thinking: I have to tell little sister! Little sister told me to watch you carefully. Wu’er listens to little sister the most.

…

Su Zhuyi planned to go down the mountain.

With her current late Golden Core strength, Nascent Soul stage primordial spirit, and some achievement in the sword dao, going down the mountain for training shouldn’t pose any danger. She first painted Qin Jianglan’s portrait, hanging it directly on the pine tree at the door. Since Qinghe hadn’t left yet these past few days, she instructed him to have those disciples come up to comprehend sword intent, not only to offer incense daily, but also to bow before the portrait.

“Tell them that worshipping this person makes sword intent comprehension faster.”

Qinghe: “…”

He said nothing, responding to certain words from his junior sister with silence.

Just then, Song Shangzhi, who had come earliest, came running over with his sword in his arms, his face showing wild joy as he said, “Both seniors, I’ve comprehended sword heart!”

He was considered a newly initiated disciple, entering slightly before Su Zhuyi. Gujian Sect disciples were expected to cultivate the sword heart within a hundred years. As long as they developed sword heart within a century, their aptitude was considered decent. If they couldn’t, they’d have to go to the outer sect first. Now, in less than thirty years, he had cultivated a sword heart—this was already quite excellent.

“Oh, show us?”

They saw him demonstrate the first form of the Gujian Sect’s Tianxuan Nine Swords, executed quite competently and not badly at all.

Seeing this, Su Zhuyi pretended to guide him, correcting his sword technique’s force and spiritual energy application. This made Song Shangzhi even more moved, repeatedly expressing gratitude. He felt Junior Sister Su was both beautiful and kind, compared to the one beside her, simply…

One was heaven, the other earth.

Just as he was feeling emotional, he heard Su Zhuyi say again, “Doesn’t worshipping this person make sword dao cultivation feel divinely aided?”

Song Shangzhi was stunned. Looking at the newly appeared portrait, he felt the man in the painting was like a banished immortal, so handsome that it seemed unreal.

“He is Qin Jianglan. He once entered the dao through swordsmanship and ascended to the Great Vehicle. Just like our sect’s Sword Heart Stone, worshipping him can also improve one’s sword dao. His sword was the Songfeng Sword. I obtained the immortal sword Songfeng Sword from the Sword Tomb and coincidentally learned of this past.”

She patted the green pine behind her, shaking down several pine needles that seemed to carry sword intent, making Song Shangzhi’s spirit tremble. His gaze toward Qin Jianglan became much more respectful.

Su Zhuyi distributed several portraits, “Share them with your close fellow disciples. Worship more often—sincerity brings efficacy.”

After speaking, she put on a cold face, “If I discover any damage to the portraits…” She thought about how to threaten him, then turned and pulled over Qinghe, who was standing to the side.

Without saying more, Song Shangzhi already understood, repeatedly saying, “They will never be damaged, please rest assured.”

Qinghe: “…”

Except for Master, everyone feared him.

Looking at his junior sister grabbing his arm, his expression remained indifferent and distant, but his heart felt slightly warm. Then, maintaining a stern face, he coldly glanced at Song Shangzhi.

That glance made Song Shangzhi tremble directly, “My head can be severed, my blood can flow, but the portraits will never suffer the slightest damage.”

Su Zhuyi: “…”

She just loved such understanding, righteous sect disciples.